EDITORIAL: Full recovery plans await word on relief funding

Nov. 23--The ball's in our court now, Gov. Pat McCrory said Monday. Time for local leaders to come up with their plans to rebuild from the devastating floods of Hurricane Matthew.

"I cannot stress that more to local leaders," he told a gathering at a regional meeting of the Hurricane Matthew Recovery Committee in Fayetteville. "You need to make decisions right now, in a matter of days."

Well, sure. That seems right. Except for the missing pieces: McCrory has filed an application for $1 billion in federal disaster aid and he says he'll call the General Assembly into session in the next week or two to discuss appropriate additional disaster-relief and recovery money. Formulating a specific plan requires at least an inkling of how much disaster aid will get here. Will we get the entire billion from the feds? What will our lawmakers kick in? They approved more than $800 million after Hurricane Floyd, 17 years ago. What will they do this time? We don't know.

McCrory said the effort should start with fundraising to cover the gaps that won't be filled by insurance or disaster-relief aid. He suggested that money be sought from corporate donors. That's a good idea for Wake County recovery efforts. But in places like Robeson or Columbus counties, the retort will likely be, what corporate donors? Even before Matthew, life there was lived by the title of Richard Farina's cult classic 1966 novel, "Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me."

And there's another problem: Where, exactly, is the flood plain? We thought we knew where it was risky to build and where it was safe. If Matthew is the new standard, then everything has changed. Do we, for example, rebuild the Habitat Village, off Old Wilmington Road, or do we move it elsewhere? No one expected horrific flooding when the village was built.

And what about the Creeks Edge Townhouses in the Arran Lakes neighborhood? If the dam is rebuilt, can we trust that it won't fail again and flood replacement townhouses? The number of failed dams throughout our region, and the quality of their replacements, is a key consideration in recovery plans.

We'll need a lot of expert assistance in determining new guidelines for what's flood-prone and what's safe.

So yes, let the recovery continue. And let's hope that Washington and Raleigh will be generous in supporting all the devastated communities in North Carolina. We'll have plans, for sure, but we've got to know what kind of check is in the mail before the big job can begin.